Pinkie Couture becomes a one-stop shop, including an event space

Pinkie Couture used to take its parties to the street, holding fashion shows on the third Friday of the month in downtown Overland Park, creating outdoor events to draw traffic to neighboring shops and restaurants. Now it has moved south, to a 7,000-square-foot building at 7105 W. 105th St.

The small salon in downtown Overland Park held Third Friday fashion shows on the third Friday of the month, creating outdoor events to draw traffic to neighboring shops and restaurants.

Now it has moved south, to a 7,000-square-foot building with a 16-foot ceiling at 7105 W. 105th St. in Overland Park. The space is big enough to have several Pinkie Couture operations under one roof — a salon, facial services, a retail shop selling jewelry and clothes, with many items from local designers as well as some vintage pieces.

“We are the place for tonight’s night out,” said James Pillatzke, founder of Pinkie Couture. “We’ll do your hair, your makeup, waxing, facial, spray tan and take a photo for Facebook.”

Pillatzke opened Pinkie Couture in early 2010. Nathan Lumpkin became his business manager in mid-2011 and earlier this year became a partner in the business. Now the two men are buying the building just west of Metcalf Avenue at 105th Street.

Pillatzke wants to take the salon back to the days when women would gather there to hang out with their friends. So each stylist has their own lounge area nearby. Pinkie Couture also plans to add a cafe later this year.

But perhaps more importantly the space is big enough for indoor events.

Pinkie Couture plans to hold themed parties monthly such as their Mad Hatter Tea Party or Superheroes party. Customers and their friends will be encouraged to dress up for the events in their best party wear with perhaps a touch of that party’s theme. It also will be available for fashion shows, photo shoots, art openings, receptions, and live music events.

The partners think they have a concept that they can expand locally and to other cities.

Lumpkin’s father traveled for work so he spent a lot of his childhood with women — his mother and two sisters — seeing first-hand how much they had to juggle in their lives.

“That’s why I believe in the concept. They can get their hair and makeup done at one place and have something to eat, too,” he said. “I believe in the idea of just providing a more complete service. We like to make our guests’ lives easier.”

Pinkie Couture will have a “pink tie” grand opening event from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday.

YaYa’s moving in mid-2014

YaYa’s Euro Bistro will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Hawthorne Plaza early next year.

But it won’t be there for its 21st birthday.

In summer 2014, YaYa’s is scheduled to relocate to a new freestanding building in Overland Park’s Corbin Park. The 6,000-square-foot building will be just to the west of a new Sprouts Farmers Market. YaYa’s new patio also will overlook a special waterfall feature in Corbin Park.

Paul Khoury, co-founder of PB Restaurants Inc., owners of YaYa’s, decided to relocate the restaurant to the 135th Street corridor because the area will soon have several unique offerings, including mega sporting goods store Scheels.

PB also plans to open three new concepts in the Prairiefire development, just to the east of Corbin Park, in May 2014.

YaYa’s will remain in its Hawthorne Plaza building at 4701 W. 119th St. until late spring or early summer 2014. It will celebrate its 20th anniversary in February. (It had also operated under the name YiaYia’s).

Hawthorne Plaza has a preliminary development plan that calls for upgrading the center with new facades, landscaping and outdoor seating areas to encourage consumers to linger. The plan includes tearing down the current YaYa’s building and replacing it with a 24,000-square-foot structure that would hold the area’s first The Container Store. The Container Store is a chain of stores offering storage and organization supplies.

But Khoury didn’t want to give up the prime corner spot and relocate YaYa’s to another Hawthorne Plaza space.

Several other retailers are scheduled to open in Corbin Park in early 2014.